Adjustable support



March 18, 1941. w. s. sAuNDERs `IHMUSTABLE SUPPORT Filed oct. 9. 15:59

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

WALTER s. sAuNoE-Rs 617m, f ATTORNEYS March 18, 1941. w. s. SAUND'ERQ ADJUSTABLE surron'r 2 vsheets-shame Filed Oct. 9. 1959 1 l Il l) Patented Mar. 18, 1941 UNITED STA-TES ADJUSTABLE SUPPORT Walter S.` Saunders, Pontiac, Mich., assignor'to American Forging and Socket Company, Pontico, Mich a corporation of Michigan Application October 9, 1939, Serial No. 298,591

`4 Claims.. (Cl. 15514) This invention relates .to an improved adjustable supporting device, especially adapted t0 the mounting of vehicle seats, although equally applicable to the support of virtually any other object desired to be held in such manner that ,it may easily be moved at will, yet is normally held very rigidly in position, against all possibility of unwanted travel, lost motion and /or rattling.

An important object of the invention is to provide such a supporting mechanism which is adapted to be constructed and assembled in a most economical manner, and which is formed principally of simple stamped sheet metal parts. 1,. Another object is to provide such a support which permits convenient independent adjustment of thel yheight and the longitudinal position of the seat, or other supported object, and whichis equipped as well with novel, simple and very effective :take-up means whereby lost motion between the parts is eliminated, which take-up means is, furthermore, readily adjustable after the device has gone into service, to enable taking up any play which may result from wear during use of the device Y Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description, wherein reference is made to the accompanying drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment of my invention and n wherein similar reference numerals designate similar part-s throughout the several views.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of seat supporting means constructed in accordance with the present in.- vention, with the synchronizing cross shaft partly broken away and the seat removed, except for a fragment of the base thereof which-is shown in dotted lines in connection with the locking mechanism. l

Figure 2 is a side elevational view ofone of the two supporting assemblies which constitute the complete mechanism, the synchronizing shaft and its supporting means and the seat supportin bracket being omitted.

Figure 3 is a plan view thereof.

Figure 4 is a front elevational View of the supporting assembly.

Figure 5 is a section taken substantially on the line 5-5 of Figure l, andlooking in the direcv tion of the arrows, showing the locking mecha- 00 nism in side elevation.

Referring now to the drawings:

' I-t will be understood that two complete supporting assemblies are employed, one located beneath each end of the seat, in the position now 55 regarded as conventional. Since the two units are alike, though symmetrically opposite 'in their construction, a full description of one will sufce. The relative disposition of the two assemblies and the centrally located locking mechanism is j shown in Figure l. 5 Alttacl'nnent'to'the floor I0 or other platform upon which the seat is to be mounted is effected by elongated angle brackets I2, one for each assemloly.l .These are provided with s-tiiiening ribs I'4 and a plurality of apertures (undesignated) '10 through which extend bolts I6, I1, I8. A track element of similarly elongated angle section is secured to the support I2 by the bolts IB, Il, I8.v The front and rear bolts, I6, I8, are projectable through any one of a plurality of vertically spaced 1D holes in the track element, while a vertical slot 2'I accommodates fthe central bolt Il. It will-be seen that by removing thefront and rear bolts and loosening the central bolt, the track may be `raised or lowered to adjust the height of the seat. '20

The top Aflange of the track element is substantially horizontal and pro-vided with an upwardly projecting longitudinal rib 25, rolled or otherwise formed Vin the sheet metal, so that it also provides a trough upon the underside. A carriage is mounted upon rollers 3S arranged to travel along the top of the track, the central portions of such rollers being peripherally channeled as indicated at 34 to provide an interlock with the track `rib 25 which prevents lateral-ds- 30 placement of the rollers. A downwardly projecting rib 35 in thetrack is similarly interengaged with the peripheral channel 34 in the roller, to posi-tively locate the carriage against lateral displacement. The carriage will be seen to be of in- '35 Verted channel form, with one side ange, designated 3 l, projecting downwardly beside and below the tracky flange. In` downwardly projecting flange 3|. vertical slots 36 are provided which permit vertical adjustment 0f the positioning of the 40 stub shafts, 38, upon which the take-up rollers 40 are mounted.

The take-up rollers 4I) underengage the track ilange and are shaped to fit into the channel. fermes by the ho11-owrib2atheouter end of the 45 stub shafts 38 upon which the rollers are journaled being .threaded :to receive nuts 39 by which they are clamped in place. Held upon each stub shaft between the nut and carriage is a flat sheet metal cam 44, rotatable upon the shaft 50 when the nutis loosened and adapted to bear downwardly against a pair of lugs turned outwardly on either side of the slot 36 from the metal of the carriage. An ear 44 :projecting radially from the cam permits the same to be turned by 55 54 upon the periphery of the rollers 25 mesh with the openings 50, 52, thus providing a geared con. r.

nection between the track and carriage.

Travel of the carriage with respect tothe track is limited by a lug 55 pressed from the middle of the track and projecting angularly upwardly therefrom in position to be engaged by dow-nwardly projecting shoulder portions 56 carried by and near either end of the carriage to limit the travel thereof at desired points.

A channel-shaped rack element 60 is riveted orv otherwise secured to the side of the track and projects upwardly therefrom, its horizontal flange 6| being serially perforated as indicated at 62 to provide rack teeth engageable by a pinion; 64. Since each track is provided with such a rack, one pinion is provided for each, and the carriages of the two supporting assemblies (shown in Figure 1) are interconnected by a cross shaft 65,k each end of which is secured to one of such pinions. The shaft at each end projects through and is journaled in a suitably positioned aperture (undesignated) in an angle bracket 80, bolted to the top of the carriage by bolts 82 which ,also serve to secure in place the seat frame 84. This will be seen to insure synchronized movement of the two carriages.

Fast upon a central portion of the shaft is a ratchet 'wheel 68, selectively engageable and releasable by a pawl 'l0 pivoted upon a sheet metal bracket l2 secured to the underside of the seat frame. The bracket is provided with hook-like half round bearing portions 13, 14, so disposed as to hold the shaft against deflection throughout a full 360, yet adapted to be applied to the shaft by simply hooking the same thereover. The construction of these parts corresponds to that of the dogging mechanism disclosed in copending application of Thomas A. 'McGregor, Serial No. 84,144, filed June 8, 1936. The pawl, fulcrumed upon a shoulder rivet 15, projects forwardly from the seat to carry an operating handle Tl by which it may conveniently be manipulated to enable releasing the shaft at will, although the pawl is normally held in the engaged position, in which it locks the shaft against turning, by means of a spring 18.

It will be appreciated that when the pawl is released, the seat may be moved freely to front or rear, synchronization of the movement of both carriages being assured by the geared connection provided through the agency of the cross shaft and racks 60.

I am aware that the invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof, and I therefore desire the present embodiment to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive; reference being had to the appended claims rather than to the foregoing description to indicate the scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. In a supporting device for seats and the like, in combination with a track having a substantially horizontal flange, a carriage rollable over said track flange and having a web portion extending downwardly besideiandbelowsaid flange, said web portion'havingafsl'ot therein'extending transversely of said flange, a take-up roller carried by said web and underengaging said flange,

means for adjustably supporting said take-up roller for movement to and from said flange, includinga stub shaft adjustably mounted in said slotted portionof vsaid web portion, releasable means forrigidlyholding said stub shaft against unwanted movement, and cam means reacting against said shaft and web portion for forcing said stub shaft in a desired direction with respect to. said web. Y y

` 2. In a supporting device for seats and the like, in combination'with a track having a substantially horizontal flange, a carriage rollable over said trackflange and having a web portion extending downwardly beside and below said flange, said webportion having a slot therein extending transversely of said flange, a take-up roller carried byv said web and underengaging said flange, means for adjustably supporting said take-up roller for movement to and from said flange, including a stub shaft adjustably mounted in said slotted portion of said web portion, releasjable holding means for rigidly securing said stub shaft against unwanted movement, a cam rotatably mounted on said stubshaft and adapted to react against a portion of said web portion to force said stub shaft in a desired direction-'with respect to said-web portion, said holding means being arranged `to hold said cam against unwanted movement, and to free both the cam and said stub shaft when released.

`3. In a supporting device for seats and the like, in combination with a track having a substantially horizontalflange, a carriage rollable over said flange and having web portions-extendin g downwardly beside and belowy said flange, said web portions having a plurality of substantially vertical'slots therein, take-up roller means carried by said web portions and underengaging said flange, a stub shaft adjustably mounted in each of said slots for supporting each of said rollers, a nut on leach stub shaft for holding the same against unwanted movement in its slot, and a camwrotatably carried by `each stub shaft between lthe nut and the web and reacting against a portionof said web, whereby both the ca m and the stub shaft are held when the nut is tightened, while when the nut is loosened, the cam is rotatable and the stub shaft slidable in the slot.

4. Means as set forth in claim 1 in which said take-up roller and flange are adapted to interfit and thereby to key the carriage and track against unwanted lateral movement with `relation to each other, said takefup roller being-movable out of such interfitted relation with said flange when said holding means for the stub shaft is released.

WALTER S. SAUNDERS. 

